LIS/Abhiyan

2004-04-01T11:32:00.000-08:00

Abhiyan here with weekly questions and comments:

Many people hinted on this subject on the blog today. It concerns the outsourcing of technical jobs and services. The new business model that drives outsourcing is again defining how the internetwork would evolve in the next 5 years. It purports us to ask questions about boundary workers and definitions of virtual and physical space.

New divisions would be created among these boundaries, again hammering the fundamental question about who will get these jobs, will there be special training programs? Or simply, how would people perceive their jobs, their spatial locations and the services they are offer, and with what implications.

2004-03-25T09:49:00.000-08:00

Hello:
Abhiyan here with weekly questions

While I was reading the book, I was trying to tie its subject matter in some ways to the ‘digital divide’ problems and issues we have been discussing.

The book deals with audience research and how audience research is advocated, conducted, what drives it and what are the implications of such audience research?

Audience research is driven primarily by competition and commerce. And it is a well-known fact that they want to make huge profits, hence sell as much as possible, obviously some people will not be addressed, as ‘they’ according to advertisers do not have the capital to purchase. How do we address the social and moral meanings of this practice??

It is not surprising that there is a social construction of reality by the media, be it advertisements, movies, or television. But the million-dollar question is how much of this portrayed reality coincides or matches or reflects the ‘reality’ in our social lives?

If it doesn’t, then we have to critically scrutinize the past 75 years of social science research and reevaluate the media effects paradigm.

Advertiser's Advocate Question:
On the other hand, we all like personalized services, messages and products tailored according to our interests so that we can identify with them and conform our individuality in the society. Is this wrong??

2004-02-25T17:29:00.000-08:00

What exactly counts as meaningful interaction?

According to my understanding it is not necessary for it to have an universal definition.

What I mean is that, meaningful interaction is situation specific, should be seen within the concrete context it is happening in. Cause every interaction inherently starts with certain dispositions, certain expectations and it follows an impromptu interaction order, as Goffman and some symbolic interactionist would say.

People invest at the least some effort into interaction cause they have an idea of the returns they would be getting back, however small. Returns could be in form emotional support, information or just simply companionship.

Keep it coming!
Abhiyan

2004-02-25T10:05:00.000-08:00

Since the readings discussed online social structure and social network, let me be the devil’s advocate again!

We have been posting on the blog, people have been reading and commenting, it is an online social network, and has a certain structure to it with Greg being the ‘GOD’.

What do you people think of their experiences while posting or responding to peoples’ comments? Given the fact that we are online and we have offline interaction; does this affect your readings and comments to the blog?

Do you bring to your minds the characteristics of the offline person while your reading certain people’s comments?

How convenient this reading and commenting has been? Does it get too verbose, would you prefer to discuss the issue in class, or face-to-face or simply by e-mailing.

What technical factors impede or foster this process of reading peoples’ blog?
Do you comment ‘online’ or you gather your thoughts, make your arguments offline and then post?

2004-02-24T23:52:00.001-08:00

Proposal:

I want to extend my MA theses, by getting some audience data, primarily to see who engages in different kinds of information dissemination on the Internet. Information dissemination as I want to conceptualize is people disseminating general information, writing mails, mailing ‘links’ of web pages that provides information, sending the web page with information itself, or e-mail news articles (I am mostly interested in this).

The second part of the study would try to measure the predictors or antecedents that lead to information dissemination, especially what makes people to e-mail links of web pages and e-mail news articles that they find on news web sites.

The theoretical argument is, people who are self-efficacious, have a high desirability of control, high self-esteem, have a large social network, online as well as offline would be primary information disseminators of general information as well as of news articles to others.

I think this seems to be beyond the scope of the class; however, I can start with the literature review, building up the argument for the study, thus providing the theoretical base. I hope to move beyond this to conceptualizing, explication concepts, dimensions, writing down various indicators, and hopefully coming up with certain definite items to be included in the survey.

Somehow try to answer, why and what kind of people e-mail news articles and disseminate information?

2004-02-24T23:52:00.000-08:00

[ Tue Feb 24, 11:34:16 PM | Abhiyan Humane | edit ]
Ben:

Now if I get your question you are saying that constructing domains within the network with its rules and regulation is being prejudiced, that the structure will exclude some people from accessing it, but people should have this freedom?

Also, what would happen if you do not wear a black tie to the party? The congress gets you?

Abhiyan (post the author's name we discussed the other night)

2004-02-24T23:51:00.000-08:00

[ Tue Feb 24, 11:50:55 PM | Abhiyan Humane | edit ]
Amy:

According to me Part 3 of Communities in Cyberspace dealt with online social structure and network. Once a 'structure' has been established, it has to come up with certain norms, rules and regulations; it cannot exist as anarchy. However the dynamics of that structure, it characteristics and rules are completely in the hands of the person(s) who creates it. People who exist in that social network must comply with the rules of the structure.

Hence, the language used in that particular social structure depicts the ‘structure’ with its formal rules and regulations. So, instead if your member of social MUD, whose members’ deal with fantasia, such as The Wizard of Ozz, I doubt you will find such strong language

2004-02-19T08:43:00.000-08:00

Communities in Cyberspace:

Questions for class:

Reading the articles gave me an impression that the groups of people who were marginalized or discriminated offline seem to have the same fate online, specifically women, and people of race. The digital divide is more of an Intra-digital divide, within certain online community and cultures.

1. My major concern is how certain 'cyber-cultures, 'etiquettes' and way of speaking or communicating came into existence online. When Internet was introduced, access itself was stratified across the US as well as across the world, as people with certain SES and class having access. These people could have contributed to the culture or communication etiquettes that exist online today, as no one else or hardly anyone else is online. There could have been a homogeneous group of people who shared ideas and opinions. There seems to be a socialization process taken place, where 'their' way of communication becomes the dominant culture, and these homogeneous people could have set benchmarks and standards for textual communication. Hence defeating the idea itself that Internet is more democratic medium as compared to others, at least in cultural and societal expression arena. This reflects back to 'Intra digital divide', a divide in the online culture or community per se, as to what is acceptable and what is not, and who set these rules.

2. O'Brien's murky conceptualization of how genders transcribes from offline to online behavior with embodiment needs to be discussed more and carefully explicated; there are certain aspects of it she has completely avoided. For example, embodiment includes all bodily actions and their relation to cognition and perception. The way 'you' sit, move 'your' hand to type on keyboard, the 'movement' of mouse, your bodily state at that particular time is all embodied in the actions you perform, and since all these actions are gender specific and at some abstract level influenced by gender, one would expect some effects of embodiment. Also, she contradicts the embodiment approach by moving back and forth into the body-soul, and body-mind dichotomy. I am not sure if I have explained this in a clear manner, but hey, embodiment itself is an abstract philosophical concept!

3. I have been in chat rooms like IRC, or on programs like Pirch. Almost all programs offer an option to protect your identity if you register. Your age, gender, and location are not known. However, when I been in discussion and sometimes I felt the need to ask the person's gender, the person would reply, "does it matter?" and I would say "no". Now this has happened to me several times, it makes me question that; personally your perspectives, ideas, and opinions online could be influenced by gender, but how much does it matter to other people? Is there a shift in the gender paradigm?, Do peoples' perception of gender online has been changing?

2004-02-12T10:06:00.000-08:00

1. With teachers as gatekeepers of education and use of technology in classrooms, how much the situation has changed since 1980s in grade school, high school, college or university? How much the structural factors affect use of technology and how do teachers cope, especially with use of technology in classroom and other areas is becoming a popular notion, as there seems to be a kind of social pressure, a demand from society, parents and media.

My other concern stems out from cross-cultural effects of the structural and social factors. As loads of research has been done in many 'developing nations' on diffusion and innovation of technology, i am sure the structural factors and social factors vary, but what impact do they have would be interesting to see.

2. long distance education is becoming popular with Internet, various depress are being offered on-line, even universities offer on-line long distance courses and degrees, how does this new wave of education fit into the traditional concept of using computer technology for education in classrooms? what is role of computer technology in this particular form of education?

3. Is computer technology still a supplementary form of educational method, as we still read books, write exams on paper, lectures are still delivered with traditional methods?

2004-02-07T22:08:00.000-08:00

2004-02-07T22:07:00.000-08:00

2004-01-29T07:00:00.000-08:00

Below are my three questions for class today:

I must say, there are lies, damn lies, and statistics. The NTIA survey provides an interesting demographics of whos online and what activities they indulge in. However, according to me, the survey seems to be 'conservative' and incomplete in its questionaire and analysis.

1. My first question is a two part question:

a)The important question that underlies 'digital divide' in many ways is how, it affects people, changes the face of society, commerce, and day to day living. Though the survey is longitudinal in its nature, it does not answer or touch on the above mentioned point. If quality of life, availability of information, and profeceincy of living is similar between so called 'haves' and 'have nots', does the digital divide matter? If digital divide due to access of internet is really a considerable problem one should look at ways on answering the above question.

b)I think the 'network effects' variable has been completely ignored. It could play a vital role as to why people have access and what kind of activities do they dominantly perform online. Other than education and income, 'network effects' variable could possibly explain the existing digital divide, the rate at which its growing or diminishing.

2. Activities that online users perform online also seem not to be explored to a full extent. Of course e-mail, search for news etc are dominant, but i think travel plans, booking tickets online is not far behind. Most of us nowaday book tickets online, we hardly go to a traditional booking agent for tickets. http://cyberatlas.internet.com/markets/travel/article/0,,6071_3304691,00.html. It would be safe to assume that at least people with Internet access indulge in online booking.

3. The survey lists no disparity among computer use in school regardless of race,income or household type, among 10-17 yrs of old, but there is a sharp disparity in Internet use in school for same categories for the same age group, especially when the survey mentions rise in Internet use among young adults of same age group. How does one interpret this irony, definitely the low income groups, hispanics etc are not using internet at home. Do public libraries account for such a vast difference?

Additional comments: the survey does not ask, how much 'time' on average a person spends online, it would be interesting to see the correlational relationship with activities performed online, education, type of Internet service, and location of use with amount of time spent online. Also, when the survey mentions 'Internet too expensive' what does it exactly mean, ISP service, paraphernalia required to go online?

I think I have stretched this too far..end of lies!!

2004-01-27T07:19:00.000-08:00

"`You know,' said Arthur, `it's at times like this, when I'm trapped in a Vogon airlock with a man from Betelgeuse, and about to die from asphyxiation in deep space that I really wish I'd listened to what my mother told me when I was young.'
`Why, what did she tell you?'
`I don't know, I didn't listen.'

'Hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy'-Douglas Adams

2004-01-26T15:26:00.000-08:00

hello